Hose supporter



S. LIPTON HOSE SUPPORTER Feb. 9, 1937.

Filed March 31, 1936 INVENTOR 5/4/64 A l/pro/v ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to elastic hose supporters.

It is an object of the invention to provide an elastic hose supporter with an ornamental and protective sheath or envelope of fabric. The novel sheath or envelope, besides being ornamental, is adopted to serve several useful functions in use. It protects the elastic of the supporter against the absorption of perspiration and thereby extends the useful life of the elastic. It protects the leg of the wearer against contact with the metallic adjusting slide of the supporter. It also serves to prevent the hose supporter from being seen through thin dress fabrics, and particularly from impressing its own shape upon flexible fabrics.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hose supporter sheath'for the purpose stated which will normally be held down to cover and conceal the entire length of the supporter, but which is adapted to be detached at one end and slid along the supporter to expose the supporter clasp for permitting adjustment.

It is a more specific feature of the invention that the sheath is provided with a lower end fiap adapted to be folded around the lower end of the button tab and provided with a button hole through which the button may be passed for detachably holding the flap.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention Fig. l is a fragmentary view in elevation showing a hose supporter embodying the invention in actual use;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in front elevation illustrating one of the hose supporters upon a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the supporter sheath drawn up to expose the supporter for adjusting purposes.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation showing the bottom tab of the front of the sheath drawn up to expose the supporter button and button loop.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in sectional elevation taken upon the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The hose supporter proper may be of conventional construction and desirably comprises a length of elastic l which is attached at its upper end to a garter belt 2. The elastic l is passed through a loop 3 and its end is secured to an adjusting slide 4. The slide 4 has pivoted upon it a clasp 5 of usual construction which may be swung outward away from the slide to free the elastic for adjusting purposes and may be folded down against the slide to clamp the elastic in adjusted position.

A button tab 6 of flexible fabric is passed through the loop- 3 and depends from the loop. The tab 6 carries a button slide 1 comprising a central body portion and slotted portions 8 at its ends. The fabric of the button tab is passed through the slots at the opposite ends of the slide and around the back of the slide. A rubber covered button 9 is mounted on the central body portion of the slide 1 and extends forward into position to cooperate with a metallic loop 9 The loop 9 is supported from the loop 3 by means of a link l0.

Everything which has been described up to this point may be of usual conventional construction. As is well understood, the supporter is attached to a stocking I I by placing the upper end of the stocking over the button, passing the enlarged upper end of the button loop down over the button, and then drawing the button loop upward until the button rests at the bottom of the constricted lower end portion of the button loop.

In accordance with the present invention a sheath or envelope l2 of fabric, long enough to contain the supporter when the latter is adjusted to its maximum length, is stitched to the supporter at the upper end of the elastic I adjacent the garter belt. The sheath may be stitched directly to the garter belt or may be stitched to the garter belt simultaneously with the stitching of the elastic to the belt. The sheath may be made of one or more pieces of fabric.

In the illustrated embodiment the sheath is composed of separate front and back pieces which are stitched together along their margins. The back piece is somewhat longer than the front, being provided with a lower end flap l3 which extends down around the lower end of the button tab and which is provided with a button hole M to enable the flap to be buttoned to the button of the hose supporter. This holds the lower end of the sheath down and prevents its being accidentally or undesirably slid upward relative to the hose supporter. The front of the sheath also includes a flap portion I5 (shown as tiangular) which normally extends down over the button to cover and conceal it. This'fiap is desirably of plural thickness so as to render obscure the outline of the button.

When it is desired to attach the hose supporter to a stocking the flap I3 is folded up out of the way and the attachment is effected in the usual manner, the button tab and button loop being manipulated relative to the stocking and to one another in the manner already referred to. When it is desired to detach the stocking it is not necessary to fold the flap l3 out of the way since the button tab and button loop can be readily manipulated through the sheath to unfasten them.

When it becomes desirable to readjust the length of the supporter the flap [3 is unbuttoned from the button 9 and the lower end of thesheath is slid along the elastic: far enou h 83 pose the clasp 5. Such exposure is illustrated in Fig. 3. The clasp 5 may then be manipulated to permit readjustment of the slide 4 and the clasp may be then returned to its efiective clamping position as illustrated in Fig. 3. The sheath is then pulled downward again and the button 9 is again passed through the button hole [4.

While I have illustrated and described in detail certain preferred forms of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to the specific constructions illustrated, but intend to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principle may be utilized.

I claim: V

1. In combination, a hose supporter comprising a length of elastic, a button and a button loop carried in cooperative relation at the lower end of the elastic, and a fabric sheath or envelope secured to the upper end of the elastic and long enough to enclose the entire length of the supporter, the front and back of the sheath being separated at the lower end, and the front being provided with an end tab which normally covers the supporter button but which can be turned back to expose the'button and the button loop of the supporter.

2. In combination, a hose supporter comprising a length of elastic, a button and a button loop carried in co-operative relation at the lower end of the elastic, and a fabric sheath or envelope secured to the upper end of the elastic and long enough to enclose the entire length of the supporter, the back of the sheath being longer than the front and including an end flap having a button hole, the end flap being adapted to be folded around, the lower end of the supporter and buttoned to the button of the supporter.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the supporter includes length adjusting means intermediate its ends and the sheath is adapted to have its lower end slid upward far enough to expose the adjusting means.

4. In combination, a hose supporter'comprising a length of elastic, stocking attaching means carried by the elastic at the lower end thereof and length adjusting means disposed between the ends of the elastic, and a sheath enclosing the supporter and secured in fixed relation to the upper end of the elastic, said sheathincluding quickly detachable means for securing it to the lower end of the supporter, the arrangement be- "ing such that the sheath normally conceals the entire; supporter but can be readily shifted to expose the length adjusting means when desired.

5. The combination of a hose supporter comprising-a length of elastic, a button and a button loop carried in cooperative relation with the lower end of the elastic, and a fabric sheath secured at its upper end in fixed relation to a portion of the elastic located above the button and the button loop and long enough to extend downward from such point of securement beyond the button and button loop, the back of the sheath being longer than the front and including an end flap having a buttonhole, the end flap being adapted to be folded around the lower end of the supporter and buttoned to the button of the supporter.

6. The combination of a hose supporter comprising a length of elastic, a button and a button loop carried in cooperative relation with the lower end of the elastic, and a fabric covering for concealing the button and button loop, said covering being secured to the hose supporter and comprising a front and back enclosing said button and button loop therebetween, the back of the covering being longer than the front and including an end flap having abutton hole, said end flap, being adapted to be folded around the cured to the hose supporter and comprising a front and a back enclosing said button and button loop therebetween, the back ofthe covering including means comprising a detachable connection cooperating with the button and button tab to detachably secure the back to the button tab.

SARAH LIPTON. 

